Magic Lessons
by Kitt Chaos
Summary: A challenge fic response to the character 'Howl' and the word 'pumpkin'. Even though her spell goes awry, Howl's never going to let Sophie go.


The characters in this story are based upon the movie Howl's Moving Castle, which is owned by Studio Ghibli and based on the novel by Diana Wynn Jones.

This story is a challenge-fic response to the character "Howl" and the word "pumpkin".

**Magic Lessons**

_Always chase after her. If you want to keep her, always run after her and comfort her whenever she runs away._  
The Turnip Prince

"I've had it with magic, Howl!" Sophie declared. "It's brought me nothing but trouble!"

Howl smiled gently, having heard variations of this same theme from Sophie ever since he'd fallen in love with her -- ever since he met her. It explained how she never recognized her own astonishing capacity for magic. He was determined to help her draw it forth so that her magic could become her friend, just as his magic had become his.

He caught her in his arms as she predictably dashed toward the door.

"Sweetheart, calm down. I don't expect you to understand perfectly and cast spells exactly right the first time. Especially as my magic is of the heart and you have, I think, comfort magic. They are close, true, but not the same. That's going to make it a bit harder for me to teach you, since I don't use the same magic."

"C-comfort magic?" Sophie whispered.

"Yes, Sophie. I'm pretty sure that's the sort of magic you have in you. Comfort magic. Look what you've done to my castle," Howl smiled down at her in his arms. Lord how he loved to hold her!

"B-but, that was just cleaning and polishing, getting however many years worth of filth and neglect out of here!" Sophie protested.

"I think cleaning might have been your method for casting your spell, but it was not all that you did. Trust me, I can sense magic -- as I did with that evil charm in your pocket that first morning you were here. Remember that? I can tell you, after you were done with your cleaning, a gentle magic had taken hold of my castle from every corner, in every room, even the ones you had not cleaned. That's a very powerful level of magic, Sophie, to be able to cast a master spell within another wizard's master spell."

"What sort of spell did I cast?"

Howl's smile deepened. "The best sort. Your spell turned my castle from a rumbling pile of lonely rooms into a warm and comfortable home."

"It sure did. Why do you think I decided to stick around?" Calcifer chimed up from the hearth. "You made my little place here comfortable, too. Something Howl never thought to do!" The fire demon punctuated his statement by sticking out a flame-tongue.

"Sorry, sorry, Calcifer!" Howl laughed. "See? I don't have that same touch of magic that you do. But, I can sense it, and I want to help you learn how to use it consciously, instead of casting powerful spells randomly."

"I'm -- afraid." Sophie whispered.

"But, why?" Howl asked in the same hushed tone.

"Look what I did with the very first spell I tried to learn!" Sophie exploded. "Let me go, Howl!"

She struggled violently enough in his arms that he released her rather than let her harm herself in her frantic need to get away. He was still learning how to help her with her powerful emotions. Her passion was one reason he loved her as deeply as he did.

Of course, that meant she tended to react passionately to negative things, too. He'd learned that sometimes the haven of his arms was not where she wanted to be. Well, it was, but sometimes she couldn't admit it. Those times, she'd dash out the door into the garden and run down the hill to the small cottage that had once been his study. He always let her get a head-start so that "running away" would help her master her emotions before he caught up to her. Only rarely did she actually make it through the cottage's door. Most of the time he'd catch her in the field of flowers where her own nature, the sheer beauty of the place and Howl's presence would instantly soothe her feelings.

All in all, he'd found the Turnip Prince's advice to be the soundest he'd ever received. It amazed him that the prince's love for Sophie was deep enough that if her best happiness was with Howl, the prince would make certain Howl knew all that he knew about how to comfort Sophie. Howl could not think of another instance of such a selfless love, though it did not surprise him that it was Sophie who inspired that love.

Pushing those musings to the back of his mind, he opened the door and began to chase her. He didn't have to scan too long for her, as her bounding form was easy to see. Nor did he have to chase her far. He caught up to her and pulled her into his arms again.

"Oh, Howl!" She turned in his arms, seeking the comfort of his chest to cry against. "I'm never going to figure this out!"

"Sure you will, sweetheart," he responded.

She shook her head. "No, I won't. Look what I managed to do with the very first spell! How am I going to be able to undo it?"

"Oh, is that what has you so upset?" He held her at arms-length and smiled warmly into her face. "Didn't I say my magic was heart magic? You've got no worries there. I can..."

A skeptical look crossed her face.

"Doubting me, eh? I could be mean and _not_ undo your spell..."

"No, Howl! I trust you! If you can undo this... Please, please, won't you?" Sophie's voice caught on half a sob.

It undid any sort of resolve he had to tease her. He smiled again, brought her against his chest in a firm embrace, and assumed his magical true form. Sophie felt a shudder go through her at that, but...

"Howl! It didn't work! I'm still...! I'm still..." she sobbed brokenly. "I'm still a pumpkin!"

"It didn't work because I haven't broken your spell, yet," Howl reassured, mantling his wings to settle his feathers. "I have to be in my magical form first before I can try to break such a powerful spell!"

"Oh," Sophie-as-a-pumpkin realized, instantly calming in his hands. "I'm sorry for causing such trouble, Howl."

"What trouble?" Howl replied, smiling enigmatically before leaning forward to kiss Sophie-as-a-pumpkin gently. He wrapped his wings around them while he kissed her, invoking the magic of his heart to speak with hers and restore her to her natural form. "It's the easiest thing in the world to restore you. I _like_ kissing you, you know."

Sophie reached her hand up, now that she had hands again, to cup against one of Howl's cheeks. "I must admit I like your method of undoing my mis-cast spell, too," she admitted shyly.

"Well, then," Howl let one of his hands slide down along her arm until he found her hand while he opened his wings releasing her from his embrace, "shall we head back to the castle? Now that you know I can change you back from whatever weird thing you turn yourself into, will you give it another try?"

Sophie nodded thoughtfully as she walked alongside the feather-covered wizard. "Aren't you going to change back?" she asked.

"I've got a feeling it's going to take you a while to get the hang of using magic," Howl laughed gently as he opened the castle door for her.

Calcifer took one look at Howl, then a longer look at Sophie, and groaned. "Will you two lovebirds never let up?" he complained. His question was ignored completely as Howl pulled a chair out for Sophie to sit down in. He sat in the chair next to her, settling his wings carefully behind him before picking up her hand again.

"Remember you are only trying to change the color of this," Howl stated, lifting and holding up a white, hard-cooked egg in his other hand. "Not yourself into something called by the same color!"

Sophie grinned at him. "I'll try harder, Howl."

"That's my girl! Now, how about you try it again? This time... Peach!" Howl's smile had a hint of devilishness about it.

Calcifer grew a flame-hand and smacked himself in the face as Sophie, predictably, transformed herself into a peach. "There has _got_ to be a better way to color Easter Eggs!" he groaned.

-end-

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Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome. Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get!

stargarde (at) yahoo (dot) com


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